Spring Growth

We have been enjoying the new growth and blooms of spring just as much this year as last year. this year, there are a few more blooms to watch open on the plants we planted last year. here is a succession of the growth that has spring up so far...

early spring crocuses

Scilla siberica- Siberian Squills

Chaenomeles - Quince

pear flower buds

viburnum flower bud

once the crocuses go the trout lilies come up...they have speckled leaves. Erythronium americanum.

mixed in with the vinca

the quince in full glory.

the pear flowers open...

grape hyacinth

lavender (transplanted from ithaca) and a cup

vinca minor sips espresso...

cornus florida- flowering dogwood gets going...

the solomon's seal rises from the trout lily patch - polygonatum

trollius europaeus (globeflower) planted last year...

fothergilla 'Blue shadow'- also planted last year.

the lilac bursts into bloom (syringa vulgaris)

the viburnum that came with the house has a delicious scent (viburnum carlesii?)

the cherry and flowering dogwood brighten up the edges of the lot

walking iris bloom- Neomarica gracilis

pulmonaria- lungwort, planted last year

white flowering dogwood- too high for up-close shots.

the pink variety really opens up...

seedless concord grape, planted last year...

the spring blooms come and go quickly- at the moment the lilac is in full bloom and we look forward to discovering what is next!

Tree Fall

while we waited for our back neighbors house closing date to put in the new fence and deal with the trees along the fence line, we went ahead and took out the Norway Maple that was only growing branches on one side of the trunk, rubbing on our other neighbors garage and shading out our vegetable garden. It was a big tree to see go, but we were happy to have more light and space for growing new, healthier trees.

it looks pretty bare here but the samplings (also Norway Maple) really leaf out and the plan is to thin those out and put in some multistem birch trees...

Barn Raising Has Begun

Before things started to leaf out we started preparing the veggie garden- finishing the last of the our three raised beds and adding irrigation.

We pruned the old pear tree, cutting off any dead limbs, old cut-off stumps and thinned it out

The side yard filled up quickly with hot tub decking and yard waste.

We started talking about taking down the unhealthy Norway Maple at the corner of our lot that had been stuck by lighting causing one whole side of the trunk to be naked of branches. The dense foliage of the tree also cast alot of shade onto the yard.

The corner of the property is a real mess and we are planning to install more cedar fence to replace the chainlink along the back of the property.

The entire fence line is thick with trees growing through the fence, rotting away and sprouting saplings. Our neighbors in the blue house were selling their house so they did not want us to move forward with our plans until after closing day, when they could be sure the buyers wouldn't shut down the deal because we chopped down the tree below...so we waited...